


Three Avengers and a Baby

by Anaquana



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Surprise!Fatherhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 18:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13507299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anaquana/pseuds/Anaquana
Summary: Steve Rogers has faced a lot of challenges in his life, but nothing prepares him for Sharon Carter dropping in and dropping off a surprise bundle of joy.





	Three Avengers and a Baby

Trust is hard to come by for Steve Rogers these days, but he trusts Thor and he trusts Thor's judgment. So, when Thor unexpectedly showed up one day with his brother, Loki, in tow, he's willing to give the so-called God of Mischief the second chance Thor asks for.

He wasn't quite expecting that second chance to include sharing an apartment with the two Asgardians, but after Thor explained that not only had their entire world been destroyed and all of their people displaced, but he'd also been dumped by Jane Foster.

Thanks to Heimdall, they'd managed to find at least a temporary home for the Asgardian people – Norway and Sweden nearly went to war over who would get the honor of hosting the once-mythological beings – but after everything that had happened, nobody seemed particularly keen on welcoming Loki back into the fold. So, Thor, unwilling to give up on the brother he felt he was finally getting through to, decided to leave Asgard in the more than capable hands of Heimdall and move on.

Seeing the devastation and heart-ache in Thor's remaining eye had been Steve's undoing. He immediately traded in his loft apartment for a three bedroom overlooking the river. The price per month nearly caused even his super-powered heart to give out, but when the apartment manager realized who wanted to live in the building, he immediately called the owner. Loki, bless his devious black heart, managed to negotiate the rent down to almost a quarter of what it was in exchange for the owner using their likenesses in promotional material for as long as they lived in the building.

Most New Yorkers reacted poorly to the news that Loki was living in the very city he'd come so close to destroying. Crowds of protesters surrounded the building on a daily basis, calling for him to face justice for his crimes. Things only calmed down a bit when Thor came up with the bright idea to have Loki work off his penance doing charity work to help rebuild Manhattan.

Of course, an Asgardian's idea of doing penance would most likely be deemed cruel and unusual punishment. Or, maybe, Thor was simply getting Loki back for the many times he'd been stabbed by the little shit. Whatever the reason, he credited Jane with the idea, saying that when she first met Loki on Asgard, she'd slapped him across the face snarling, "That's for New York". And so, the "Slap a God, Save a City" charity campaign was founded.

Loki was surprisingly good-natured about spending his Friday nights getting slapped in the face. And, for just a mere five dollars a slap, people were lining up for hours to get their shots in. The caveat that anybody using a closed fist was inviting Loki to retaliate in kind kept things as civil as possible, though nothing stopped many people from spitting in his face after their slap.

Stark had publicly offered to pay the charity a million dollars if Loki would allow the Hulk to hit him, but Thor and Banner both nixed that idea. Tony still donated the million dollars, then showed up in the Iron Man costume to get his slap in.

All in all, Loki seemed to be mending his ways, but he still hadn't learned that there were some lines you did not cross. Especially not in front of Steven Grant Rogers.

"Listen, I don't know what constitutes a good time on Asgard, but this is America and here in America, baseball is our national pastime, and I will not sit idly by while you besmirch it's good name."

"I humbly apologize. I meant no offense, I was merely trying to say that there doesn't seem to be a lot of skill involved." Loki held his hands up in surrender, but Steve wasn't going to be pacified that easily.

"No skill? That ball is being thrown at nearly a hundred miles an hour, the ball is just a little larger than my clenched fist, and the bat is thinner than my forearm. The amount of strength and hand-eye coordination needed to be a professional ball-player far surpasses what most people are capable of."

Thor, leaning against the door jamb between the living and kitchen, just laughed. He was never quite sure how much was Loki sincerely not understanding Earth customs and how much was him deliberately provoking Steve. His current estimation was at about fifty-fifty, but some days were harder to gauge than others.

His amusement was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Steve and Loki immediately ceased their bickering and turned to face the door. Nobody had called from the lobby to alert them that they had visitors and they'd specifically chosen this apartment because a passcode was needed for the elevator to travel to their floor. Nobody should be close enough to the door to be knocking on it.

Thor strode over to the door and threw it open, his free hand clenching into a fist. Which immediately relaxed as he was faced with the sight of a slim blonde woman carrying a baby and several large bags.

"You must be Thor," she said by way of greeting. "Is Steve home?"

Thor was no stranger to strong, assertive women, so he recovered his composure quickly as she pushed past him into the apartment. Steve leaped over the back of the couch and loped over to her, confusion written all over his face.

"Sharon, what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in over a year. I tried calling, tried going to your apartment, but it was empty. I thought you were dead." He barely acknowledged the child in her arms, which was sleeping soundly against her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Steve. For everything." She smiled up at him and the lines of confusion faded from Steve's face as he returned the smile. "I'm especially sorry for dropping in on you like this, but I need a favor from you." She dropped the bags to the floor and held the baby out to Steve who took it automatically, though it was obvious he had no idea how to hold a baby.

"What sort of favor, Sharon?" he asked, suspiciously. "And who's this sweetheart?"

For the first time since she'd strode in, Sharon looked faintly discomfited.

"This is Sarah Margaret, my daughter." Sharon answered Steve's second question but not his first.

"Hello, Sarah Margaret. That is a beautiful name." If Steve felt any sort of jealousy towards the fact that the woman he'd begun to fall in love with had decided to start a family with somebody other than him, he didn't let any of it show as he whispered into the little girl's golden curls. "My mother was named Sarah."

Sharon cleared her throat and the tip of her boots squeaked against the wooden floor as she shifted position, a movement which, for her, was akin to shuffling her feet.

"She was named after the two most important people in her parents' lives," Sharon said with a false brightness and a tight smile.

Even before the serum, Steve was a smart man and the serum had enhanced his mental faculties just as much as his physical abilities, but there are still some things that Steve just doesn't understand. But staring down at the sleeping bundle snuffling against the crook of his neck, his synapses fired up and did the math.

"She's almost six months old, isn't she?" His voice shook with emotion.

Sharon blew out a relieved breath, she hadn't known how he would take the news, and her smile turned genuine. "She'll be six months in two weeks."

Steve's brow furrowed and he gently shook his head in denial. "But you… but we used protections. You said…"

Sharon gave a small laugh and ran a hand through her hair. "I guess modern contraceptives are no match for your super serum."

Behind Steve, Thor's laugh boomed through the room and Loki's groaned, "Brother, a little decorum, please," could barely be heard over Thor's thundering guffaws.

Steve ignored them both, too focused on the little bundle of sleeping daughter in his arms. Every emotion he was feeling – anger, disappointment, hurt, joy, contentment – flitted across his face in mere seconds. "Why didn't you tell me? Is there anything you need for her? What can I do?"

"I'm sorry, Steve, I couldn't risk anybody finding out that she's your daughter. That's why I've stayed away. That's why I didn't tell you."

"I don't understand."

"Think about it, Steve. If anybody were to find out, that'd turn her into a guinea pig. They'd poke and prod and subject her to tests for the rest of her life just to see if she'd inherited any of your abilities."

Steve stopped cooing down at Sarah Margaret and just stared down at her with dawning horror. He'd always known that the serum had painted a target on his chest, but he'd never once considered the ramifications towards any potential children. His stomach muscles clench with dread and his arm tightens protectively around his daughter until she squirms with discomfort.

Sharon's phone chirped several times and she sighed.

"I'm sorry to have to drop this all on you and run, but that's work."

Steve didn't want to let the snuggly bundle in his arms go, but now that he knew she existed, nothing in the world would keep him from seeing her again.

"You said you needed me to do a favor for you."

"Yeah, about that." He'd almost forgotten how bright Sharon's smile could be. "My maternity leave is over and this thing for work" – she gestured down at the phone in her pocket – "is going to take me out of the country for a bit. There's nobody in the world I trust more with Sarah Margaret's safety."

"You want me to…" Steve's thoughts were in a jumble. "But I don't… I've never…"

Sharon laughed at him as she moved the bags she'd brought in over to the couch. Loki took them from her hands with a sly wink which she returned with a hard stare.

"There are several parenting books in one of the bags. All you really need to do is feed her when she's hungry, change her diaper when it's dirty, and play with her. I shouldn't be gone for more than a few weeks." Her phone chirped again and her movements took on a more frantic pace. "Her six month check-up is with Doctor Abernathy on the third. There's an appointment card in a folder with all of her medical information. He knows you're her father, but he's the soul of discretion, so don't worry."

Steve couldn't quite get a handle on the whirlwind happening around and within him. Sharon had always left him off balance, but this was something a magnitude worse than normal.

"We shall do everything in our power to help Steve with the child," Thor said in his "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I shall bluff my way through it" voice. Smart as she was, Sharon picked up on that underlying sentiment and merely shook her head.

"There are emergency contact numbers in the folder with all of Sarah Margaret's information. If you get really desperate for help, Nat said she'd be willing to stop by." Her phone chirped a third time. "Furniture for her and other large items will be delivered later this afternoon and I've set up weekly deliveries of food and diapers, so you shouldn't need to go out to buy any," she finished in a rush, kissing the back of Sarah Margaret's head.

She strode to the door, then turned back to level a small smile at Steve. "I really like the beard."

And with that final comment, she was gone.

As the door closed with a soft click, the child in Steve's arms stirred and began to cry as if she could sense that her mother had left her in the care of somebody she didn't know. Steve bounced her and cooed at her, but to no avail. Sarah Margaret's cries ratcheted up in volume while all Steve could do was rub her back and stare down at her with helplessness.

With an exasperated sigh, Loki rose from the couch and plucked the little girl out of Steve's grasp.

"Hello, little one," he said, holding her high in the air and looking up at her with a look of happiness that Thor had never seen on his brother's face before. Dazzling illusions sparkled around Loki's head, eliciting excited shrieks and babbles of laughter from the child. "I'm your Uncle Loki."

 


End file.
